Following the lovely outdoor ceremony, Sima and Peter moved the party indoors to celebrate their big day with family and friends. Ostentatious met quirky elegance at Sima and Peter’s tasteful reception at the Rockleigh Country Club. Jay Seth Photography brought out the kooky and romantic in both Sima and Peter through their portraits. Sima was in awe of Jay Seth and said, “our photographer has such a calming presence and did a wonderful job! The videographers, Live Picture Studios, had never met Jay Seth, but worked so well that most guests thought they were one large company.” We were blown away by the frosty and ivory shades of the decor - Elegant Affairs Inc. set up a wonderland of a stage by suspending crystal garlands from the floral arch backdrop. Loved the addition of the boxy lanterns on either sides of the couch that also served as a platform for floral arrangements and floating candles within cylindrical crystal vases. The chandeliers and candles in the ballroom helped create a romantic atmosphere, a perfect segue into the couple’s first dance and DJ-ing by IEDJS. Sonal J Shah did a fabulous job orchestrating this event. Since the ceremonies were both held during the day, the couple’s friends got together and gave them a sparkler send-off outside of their venue. Check out the gallery to be marveled!
Fireworks were the perfect end to this lavish wedding, and a tete-a-tete with the bride seems to be the perfect end to our synopsis. Sima gave us a ton of details into this bash, and we couldn’t wait to share it with you:
How did you meet your Raja and when did you know he was "the one"?
We met when I was in college and Peter was working at a bank in downtown Cleveland, through mutual friends at a rooftop lounge one magical evening. I knew he was a genuine, sweet, honest guy when he called me for the first time to ask me on a date. I said yes, and his very next question during that same phone call was if I wanted to also hang out for a second date later in the week. There were no games with him. I knew in that moment that he was very different from most guys. We looked into each others eyes, locked hands and the rest was history.
Do you have a super romantic proposal story or engagement memory?
Peter planned for my friends to join us for dinner in NYC (or so I thought). We were to meet at the restaurant, but I arrived very early. To diffuse the situation, Peter took me to a nearby bar for a quick drink: Pera Soho. We then walked to Aperitivo Di Palma in the West Village. At that point, I wondered if this was going to be "it". The big proposal. Pete could read my mind, and that's when he said that tonight was not going to be the night, but that it was coming soon and to accept his gift since I had been waiting so long for the proposal. He had bought me Christian Louboutin shoes! I showed my best friend this new gift excitedly, and when I turned back around, Pete was on one knee. And there was a bright, sparkly ring. I immediately said yes!! Then, his sister and my other friends popped out from behind the door. I was so happy and excited that I did not pay attention when we were motioned to the carriage house in the back. When I walked into the room, I was greeted by my parents, Pete's parents, my brother and his wife and my closest friends! It was the biggest surprise of my life!
Tell us about your wedding style. When you sat down to really figure out how your dream wedding would look, did you start with one central color, a palette of colors, or a theme that served as your inspiration?
We wanted an elegant and romantic wedding with a European flare. We chose the Rockleigh Country Club as our venue which looks like an Italian villa. The outdoor stone pillars and fountain provided the perfect backdrop for pictures. The endless chandeliers and marble dance floor provide such an ornate look. So much so that minimal decoration is actually needed. To provide a romantic feel, I wanted candles and crystals to line the entire room and tables. Further, we chose to have blush, light pink and ivory tones for flowers and other decor.
Did you and your Raja have a special song that you danced to as your first dance? How did you choose it?
We danced to Ed Sheeran's Kiss Me. Peter actually chose it. He also scheduled a dance class in SoHo to learn some moves for our first dance which was really cute.
Anything else you want to tell us? We'd love to hear all about your other details!
Our mehndi was held at my parent's home. Elegant Affairs did all of our wedding decorations including our mehndi which we absolutely loved. The saffron and green colors really went well with my parents living room. They set up a huge tent outside so have food and drinks. It was a great way to kick off our wedding weekend. For our cake, we went with My Daughter's Cakes. They were wonderful. The cake tasting included 15-20 different types of fillings, and 5-6 different types of cakes. They even made a special funfetti filling as we said that was our favorite flavor! They let us combine 5-6 different types of fillings with cakes for our final wedding cake. She also matched our wedding cake design to elements of our wedding invitation which was amazing. Very down to earth, friendly people!
